Connecting rod structure



6 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. A. H. BARIKEIJ CONNECTING ROD STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1938 July 23,1940.

FIG 1 4 T w w \QZ A w//\\M/ a R VV//.\\ a 1 y 1940- J. A. H. BARKEIJ2,209,014

CONNECTING ROD STRUCTURE Filed Feb., as, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

July 23, 1940. J. A. H. BARKEIJ 2,209,0 4

CONNECTING ROD STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1-938 6 ShQBtS-ShBBt '3 FIGS.

INVEN 1 OR.

6 Sheets-Sheet 4 J. A. H. BA

comwcwmenon Filed Feb. 28,

July 23, 1940.

FIG5

CONNECTING ROD STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 I FIG?111 1 4 5 123 /114- .1 122 i I 1 20 16 11'? A INVENTOR.

y 1940- J. A. H. BARKEIJ 2,209,014

CONNECTING ROD STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 28, 1938 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIGS, B

INVENIORv Ilium" Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE2,209,014 OO-NNEGTIN G ROD STRUCTURE- 7 Jean A. H. Barkeij,lAltadena,Calif.

Application February 28, 1938, Serial No. 193,005

I 13 Claims.

' My invention relates more particularly to con necting rod structuresof the radial type or rotary type. 1

v The standard radial or rotary type of internal combustion engines hasa so-called master connecting rod on a crankpin, and to said master rodare articulated by means of so-called knuckle pins the other connectingrods of the other cy1inil ders.

'The main object is to do away with the master rod and to avoid thegreat load which'this master rod exerts all the time on the piston andcylinder wall associated with said master rod.

W Other objects will appear during the descrip- 1'5 tion of thestructure.

" Fig. 1 shows a vertical'cross section transverse of a crankpin of aradial engine, and a ring mounted thereon carrying the knuckle pins ofthe connecting rods of the radial engine, in thispar- '6 ticular case anine-cylinder radial engine. Fig. 1 shows Fig. 2 on the section linel-I. Fig. 2 shows a verticalcross-section lengthwise the crankpin andconnecting rod structure of Fig. 1 on the section line 2-2.

Q5 Fig. 3 shows a diagrammatic representation of the cylindersinrelation to the connecting-rodstructure of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 shows a vertical cross-section of a crankpin of a radial engineof the two stroke type having eight cylinders radially arranged thecrankshaft, and a ring thereon carrying the knuckle pins of theconnecting rods of the engine, and an annular element Ila rotatablyarranged on said crankpin, provided with shoulders or abut ments tolimitthe pivoting motion of the connecting rods arranged on said knucklepins. Fig.

4 is anenlarged vertical section of the central part of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of m the arrangement of theconnecting rod structure 40 of Fig. 4 "as applied on a radial 8 cylindertwo stroke engine, having" its cylinders arranged at intervals of 45. i

"Fig. 6 shows a vertical cross section of driven sleeve valve-gear for aradial nine cylinder twostroke-cycle engine, and an eccentric -on thecrankshaft (or an eccentric on a shaft geared to the crankshaft) drivinga strap or annular ring lfl'fl thereon, whichcarries an element II tocontrol the angularity of the connecting rods attached to thesleeve-valves, reciprocating in said cylinders with the same cycle-asthe pistons therein. Likewise here the element I I may" form adult withthe eccentric strap or may float thereon,as shown in Fig. 4. l i

ing rod pivots in the annular ring rotatably ar- 10 ranged onthecrankpin, and the foot of the con-- necting rod has again a shoulder .orabutment cooperating with the shoulders orabutments on the annular ringon the crankpin to limit the pivoting movement of the connecting rods.

' Fig. 9 shows in vertical cross section (on the section line 99 of Fig.8) how to limit the rocking motion of the connecting rod with respect tothe annular ring II when the rods are pivoted in the ring. U

Referring more particularly'to Fig.1, the numbers I to 9 indicate thenine connecting rods reciprocating the nine pistons in a nine cylinderradial engine. It! indicates the crankpin, and II indicates a ringaround said crankpin provided with nine grooves [2 parallel to the axisof said crankpin and said ring. In said grooves swing the shoulders l3to 2| of the connecting rods l to 9, which connecting rods rotate orswing around nine knuckle pins 22 to 3llattached to a. ring 3| whichforms a unit. with the said ring ll.

As shown inFig. Z'the crankshaft has two crankarms 34 and 36 each havinga journal pin respectively and 31. In the journal pin 31 is anoilconduit ml-leading oilunder pressure to a con- 35 duit 39 between acentral pin lb, and the crankpin l0 proper. From this oil conduit aplurality of oil conduits 40-42 lead to the {bearing surface between thecrankpin H] and the ring ll, two of whichleadito a circumferential,internal, groove 40 33a in the bearing surface of the ring ll. With thislatter groove 33a communicate two oil-passages 33b in two pins 33, whichextend through the endsof each knuckle pin 22 to 30. Each pin servesfurther to connect therings 3| and 32 pins 33 and from there the oil isled to the bear- 5 ing surface between connecting rod and knuckle pin.Each knuckle pin is hollow but closed at the ends, of course.

When the engine, that means when the crankshaft rotates and thecylinders are stationary, or the crankshaft is stationary and thecylinders rotate, or the crankshaft and cylinders both rotate, thepiston and connecting rods cannot rotate the entire assembly on thecrankpin I0. Each connecting rod having a shoulder I3 swinging in thegroove I2 of the ring II, has only a limited swing movement, which isonly enough to allow the connecting rod to assume a maximum angularity,approximately equal to that which it assumes when the crankpin assumes aninety degree position past or before top dead center position of anyparticular cylinder.

Therefore when the connecting rod I is in top dead center position forcylinder I (the cylinders are as in standard practice arranged in radialdirections at 40 interval from a -point C, which is thefcenter of thecrankpin journal 31) the connecting rods 8 and 3 are at an angle ofabout 8Q with respect to the cylinders 8 and 3 respective ly. Thereforeif the gas pressure in cylinder I when the piston is approaching orreceding from top dead center, tends to rotate the rings II, 3|, 32,forming a unit, it will be only able to rotate them a very small amountbecause a rotation of the unit II, 3|, 32 of about to with respect tothe center C of the crankpin Ill,

' 31.; The result of such a rotation by connecting rod Ifof rings I I,3|, 32 on crankpin II) in counterclockwise direction will force theshoulder I5 of connecting rod 3 against the shoulder I2a on the 1 ring'I I, and the angularity of the connecting rod 3 cannot be increased,which stops the'rotation of the ring I I. If the gas pressure or inertiaof the piston l tends to rotate the unit II], 3|, 32 clockwise, oncrankpin II! the shoulder 20 of connecting rod 8 will be forced againstthe shoulder |2b on} the ring H.

Therefore the inertia or the gas pressure of any connecting rod orcylinder is not able to rotate the unit I0, 3|, 32 very much, becausethe shoulders at the lower end of two connecting rods will alwaysprevent a great rota- -tion of this unit on the crankpin I0. Afterpiston I recedes from top dead center, the piston in cylinder 2'approaches dead center and equally here the shoulders on the connectingrods 9 and 4 will prevent any appreciable rotation in either directionof the said unit on crankpin IQ for the same reason as explained. Afterpiston 2, piston 33 approaches compression and firing position and theshoulders on connecting rods and 5 cooperate with the correspondingshoulders |2b and IZa on the ring II to prevent appreciable rotation 'ofthe unit II, 3|, 32. Therefore likewise and successively the shoulderson connecting rods 2 and 6, 3 and I, 4 and 8, 5 and 9, 6 and I, I and 2do the same job until the shoulders of connecting rods 8 and 3- comeagain into play. 1 The aforesaid construction can be applied on anyradial engine having three or more cylinders arranged radially withrespect to the crankshaft. In either one of said types the actualrotation of the unit I I, 3|, 32 can be limited so much that theconnecting rods of the various cylinders cannot touch the lower ends ofthe cylinders because said shoulders I3 determine the maximum angularityoi' the rods. Various minor modifications can be conceived, as forinstance a construction whereby the ring I I is free to rotate withrespect to the rings 3|, 32, which can be connected under such a ring IIso that they form a unit and a basis for the knuckle pins 22 to 30, butall such modifications fall under the scope of the following claims.

The engine may have further, for instance, an even number of cylinders,for instance, if a two stroke cycle engine is used. Or the knuckle pinscan be made rotatable on the rings 3|,, 32, and the connecting rodssolidly fastened on said pins so that they cannot rotate thereon, and inthat case, of course, the swiveling motion of the knuckle pins has to belimited to get the same effect. If the ring II is freely rotatable withrespect to the rings 3| and 32, rotation of the rings 3|, 32 with theconnecting rods thereon effects a rotation of the ring because theshoulders I2a and I2?) on the ring II will be shifted from one shoulderI3 of one connecting rod to the shoulder I3 of a connecting rod atremoved therefrom, so that the angularity of each connecting rod can beonly increased a limited extent and only so far as another shoulder onthe ring II allows a connecting rod, 160 removed therefrom, (in a ninecylinder radial engine), to assume a certain angularity and not more.

It is further understood that I may apply the same mechanism on a driveneccentric shaft, to which are also pivoted connecting rods drivingsleeves for instance in a radial type of engine. An eccentric motiongiven to a unit II, 3|, 32 as shown, will limit thereby the angularityof the rods connected thereto in the same way and such a unit II, 3|, 32is in the same way prevented from changing its rotative positionappreciably on an eccentric part of a rotating driving shaft. In thepresent arrangement the parts attached to the rods and unit I I, 3|, 32drive the shaft, but reversely the shaft or eccentric part II) may bedriven, which motion reversely reciprocates the parts attached to therods. Essentially they are the same constructions.

These modifications are shown in the Figures 4 to 9. Referring moreparticularly to Figs. 4 and 5, we see that this assembly for an 8cylinder two stroke radial engine is very much the same as the structureshown in Fig. 1, with this difference that the element Ia with thegrooves I2 and abutments I20: and I21), is rotatably arranged on theannular ring carrying the knuckle pins for the various connecting rods.The angularity of each connecting rod may rotate slightly the ring IIaon the annular ring II on the crankpin III, so that the connecting rodsall together in cooperation control the exact radial position of saidring I la on the ring carrying. the knuckle pins for the connecting rodsreciprocating the cylinders. I

The next modification of the radial engine with an even number ofcylinders is shown simultaneously therewith. The exhaust valves arearranged in the top of the cylinders and the inlet ports in thecylinders are controlled by the pistons. This arrangement is well knownin the art and the particular details thereof are, of course, omitted.Fig. 4 shows the central part of Fig. 5 only, the connecting rodstructure.

A blower provides the charging force.

I0 The next modification in which the knuckle pins may pivot in therings I3I and I32 is shown in Fig. 8. The two rings |3I and I32 areprovided with hollow bosses A and B, extending outwardly from said ringsto provide a liberal bearing sur- 1 face for' the foot' I3B oftheconnectin'g'rods to pivot therein. Oil leads from the crankshaftleadto all these pitinan joints" and to the bearing of the annularring,;carrying the annular rings I3I and I 32 by"mean s* of splines. Oras shown'the connecting rod may be keyed to the knuckle pin, I3IlandI3Ila; f I

The next modification is shown in Fig. 6, in which I provide the oldcrankshaft II] with an eccentric 99, rotating in aneccentricstrap Hillto whichare attached for instance nine connecting rods for the sleevesof 'a radial nine cylindertwo stroke. I may provide these cylinders withsleeves controlling anexhau'st port at the top end of'the cylinder endan inlet port atthe lower end of the cylinder; Again a superchargerfeeds in a manner also well known air or a fuel-air-mixture tothecylindersandall these parts are omitted as irrelevant. i I fThe'eccentric strap is again provided with said element I I of Fig. ljor IIa of Fig. 4, provided with grooves H2, in which swing the shoulders orabutments II3 of the connecting rods IllI to I09, to limitin'cooperationwith the" shoulders or abutments IIZa-and I IZb'of thering I I, the angularity of the connecting rods driving the sleevevalves. On each sleeve *valveis a pin I Ill, and on the eccentricstrapIIID are nine pins II I, to provide a connection between eccentricstrap I00 and the nine sleeves. Cylinder I is shown in firing positionsand cylinders 5 and 6 are going through the scavenging andchargingperiod.

Upon rotation of thecr'ankshaft I0 andeccentric 99, the eccentric strapreceives an oscillating movementbut is prevented from rotating by theabutments, IIZa and b, on the ring II and theabutm'ents II3 on theconnectingrods, very much in the same way as shown for the crankshaftconstruction of Figs. 1 and 4 driving pistons in cylinders instead ofbeing driven. H

Likewise here the element I I may form a unit with the strap IIJII ormay freely rotate thereon.

,Finally in Fig. '7 I show thelast modification, in which .thecrankshaftis stationary and the cylinders rotate, these-called rotary type'ofengine (a variation thereof whereby the cylinders and crankshaft bothrotate is an intermediate type, and may, of course, use the sameconstruction of the connecting. rods. The gearing therefore is showndiagrammatically in the same figure to the right).

The cylinders H5, in Fig. 'I, are arranged on a crankcase I I6 rotatablyarranged on a crankshaft II9, carrying on its crankpin theconnecting-rodstructure of either Fig. 1 or 4. Roller bearings H8 and II8a reducing the friction between the two. This entire unit, cylinders H5and crankcase H6 rotate inside a stationary structure indicated by M4,which carries the blower, starter, magnetos, etc. at the lower end ofthe cylinders and are respectively part of the time in communicationwith an annular exhaust manifold and annular inlet manifold I24 and I23, respectively. The stationary unit H4 is separated from the rotatingunit H5 by the friction roller bearings I20 and IZlIa and reduce thefriction between the two. The propeller is preferably fixed to therotating unit H5, the cylinders, and crankcase II6. In connectiontherewith it may be stated that the crankshaft unit H1, H9 may be gearedto the unit of the cylinders H5 in any ratio, so that the speed of thepropeller shaft may be chosen in the proper relation to the rotativespeed of the cylinder unit. This gearing is omitted as being well Theexhaust and inlet ports are,

known in the prior art and further irrelevant to the scope of theannexed claims. (See for instance, Patent 1,084,192 of'Jan. 13, 1914, toE. Becker and F. Dinslage.) II

3 Finally Fig. 9 shows in connection with Fig.8, a modification how tolimit the rocking motion of the connecting rod with respect to theannular ring on the crankpin. 'I'he knuckle pin may be provided with ashoulder I34, which swings in an indention I35 of theboss A carrying theknuckle pin in the ring I3I. It is, of course, understood that thisconstruction is not imperative, but that the connecting rod may beprovided at its lowest end again with an abutment I3, swinging in anarcuate groove inthe ring II as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, which isaltogether the same construetion as that shown in Fig. 9, a lever of thefirst o'rder'having its fulcrum between unequal arm levers. I

I Any modification or adaptation of any feature of the present inventionis included in the scope of this invention. I I

I It is further understood that a combination of the constructions ofFigs. 1 and 4 is possible, in thes ense that the construction of Fig. 4may be applied on a ring on the outside of the ring, carrying theknuckle pins. The knucklepins may be provided with shoulders I3,swinging in armate grooves in such a loose ring as shown in Fig. 4 butarranged on the outside, and the connecting rods may carry shoulders I3,swinging in arcuate grooves in the ring carrying the knuckle pins. Themeaning of Fig. 4 is not that the loose ring necessarily has to bearranged under the knuckle pins and on the ring carrying said knucklepins. Said loose ring may be arranged, of course, beside the ringcarrying the knuckle pins and the knuckle pins have to be provided withabutments or shoulders on the outside as shown in Fig. 9. I I

I claim: I I

1. A crankshaft and a crankpin thereonpa ring rotatably fixed on saidcrankpin, a pivot and connecting rod connected to said ring and meansassociated with said ringan'd the lower end of the connecting rod beyondsaid pivot to limit the swinging movement of said rod on said ring.

2. A crankshaft, a crankpin thereon, a rotatable member on saidcrankpin, a knuckle pin on said member and means cooperative betweensaid member and the lower end of a rod pivoted on said knuckle pin andbeyond said pin to limit the pivoting movement of said rod on saidknuckle pin.

3. A crankshaft, a crankpin thereon, a rotatable member on saidcrankpin, a pivot on said member and a member pivoted on said pivot,and.

means associated with said two members and located between the pivot andsaid first member to limit the pivoting motion of said second member onsaid first member, said means consisting of a third member rotatablyarranged on said first rotatable member.

4. In a radial engine, a crankshaft, having a crankpin, a ring rotatablyfixed on said crankpin, a plurality of knuckle pins on said ring,connecting rods pivoted on said pins and means operating between thelower ends of said connecting rods below the pivots of said rods andsaid ring to limit the angularity of said connecting rods on said pinsand ring, thereby limiting the rotatability of said ring on saidcrankpin during the rotation of said engine.

5. A crankshaft and a crankpin thereon, a

member rotatably fixed on said crankpin, a plurality of pivots on saidmember and connecting rods associated with said member and pivots, andmeans associated with the lowest tip of said rods, and a second memberrotatably fixed on said first member on said crankpin, carrying theknuckle pins, to limit the, rotation of, said first member on saidcrankpin with relation to at least three radially arranged cylinders,said second member cooperating with said connecting rods through saidfirst member.

6. In a radial engine having at least three cylinders arranged in radialform with an interval of 360 divided by the number of cylinders, acrankshaft, a crankpin thereon, a rotatable member on said crankpin, aplurality of connecting rods pivoted in said member reciprocating thepistons in said cylinders, means associated with the foot of saidconnecting rods beyond said knuckle pins and said member to limit theangularity of said rods on said member and to thereby limit the rotationof said member on said crankpin.

,In a radial engine having at least three cylinders arranged .in radialform with equal intervals, a crankshaft, a crankpin thereon, a rotatablemember on said crankpin, a knuckle pin thereon, aconnecting rod pivotedon said pin, a shoulder at the lower end of said connecting rod swingingin a groove of said member, and a shoulder at the end of each groove tocooperate with saidshoulder on the connecting rod to limit the swingingmotion of the rod relative to said member.

8. A shaft and an eccentric part on said shaft, a member arranged onsaid eccentric part, connecting rods pivoted on said member, a secondelement rotatably fixed on said member, shoulders on the lower end ofsaid connecting rods swinging in arcuate shaped grooves in said secondelement, said grooves being limited at the ends thereof by shoulders sothat said shoulders on said rods touch the shoulders of said grooves,limiting thereby the angularity of said rods relative to said shaft.

.9. A cylinder, a piston reciprocating therein, a connecting rodattached. tosaid piston, the rod being pivoted to a ring rotatably fixedon an eccentric shaft, a shoulder on saidpivot, forming a fixed part ofsaid rod, cooperating with a shoulder on said ring to limit theangularity of said rod with respect to said ring.

10. The combination of claim 1, in which said pivot is composed of a pinon said ring, said connecting rod swinging on said pin, said ringcomposed of three parts, a center basic part having abutmentscooperating with abutments on said rod to limit the angularity of saidrods relative to said basic part, and two outer rings splined on saidbasic part, said pins fastened to said outer rings by means of boltsextending thereto, said same bolts fastening said outer rings on saidcenter, basic part.

11. In a radial engine, a connecting rod structure on a crankpin, saidstructure composed of a plurality of connecting rods on two rings fixedaround a basic center part at the outer ends thereof, said basic parthaving a bearing on said crankpin, and having arcuate grooves limited byshoulders, cooperating with shoulders on said connecting rods-to limitthe angularity of said rods with respect to said basic part and saidcrankpin.

12. In a mechanical movement for converting rectilinear to rotarymotion, a crankshaft and a crank thereon, a plate or ring to rotate onsaid crank provided with pivots for connecting rods attached to saidring and to elements having a rectilinear motion, another ring rotatablyfixed on said first ring, said second ring carrying abutmentscooperating with abutments on said rods, to limit the angularity of saidrods relative to said first ring and said crank.

13. In a radial engine, a connecting rod structure on a crankpin of acrankshaft therein, comprising a plurailty of connecting rods pivoted toknuckle pins or pivots on a ring rotatably fixed on said crankpin,another ring rotatably fixed relative to said first ring on saidcrankpin, means associated with said connecting rods and second ring tolimit the angularity of said rods relative to said first ring, pins tofix said pivots to said first ring, oil passages in said pinscommunicating with an oil passage in said crankpin to lead oil from saidcrankpin through said pins inside said pivots, said pivots having aradial hole to lead the oil to the bearing between said pivots and saidrods.

J. A. H. BARKEIJ.

